ETH Zurich climbed from eighth to second place in the rankings, with Lund University in Sweden and the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) in joint third.
“We are thrilled that our university is once again ranked number one in the world in the QS Sustainability Rankings. The U of T community is profoundly committed to the advancement of sustainability as one of the most urgent challenges of our time.
“This year’s ranking confirms our resolve to help lead the way to a sustainable future,” said University of Toronto president Meric Gertler.
The 2025 rankings, published on December 10, showcase nearly 1,750 institutions from 107 countries and territories, increasing by more than 1,000 institutions since the inaugural rankings in 2022.
Canada is the only country to have two institutions in the top five, with the University of British Columbia coming in joint fifth place alongside University College London (UCL) in the UK.
The UK has four institutions in the top 10 – the most of any country – and 26 universities in the top 100.
The US leads in representation, with 239 institutions ranked, but the country’s average score trails Europe and Australasia.
Despite having the second-highest number of entries, no mainland Chinese university was ranked in the top 100.
There is still a lot of work yet to be done, even amongst the leaders in this list
Ben Sowter, QS
The rankings are based on university performance across three categories; environmental impact, social impact and governance, with the third category taking into account ethics, hiring practices, transparency and decision-making.
Australia has 14 universities in the top 100, with the University of Melbourne maintaining its position at number nine. New Zealand’s eight universities were all within the top 500, contributing to the highest average score for the country.
The University of Tokyo is the highest-ranked Asian university, at 44th, with a total of six Asian universities from four countries making the top 100. Seven African institutions made the top 500.
According to the latest QS International Students Survey, nine in 10 current students identified sustainability as a top priority, with 40% actively researching universities’ sustainability strategies during the application process.
“This underscores the urgency for sustainability to remain at the forefront of institutional agendas,” said QS CEO Jessica Turner, highlighting the progress reflected in this year’s rankings, which saw 350 new entrants on the previous year.
However, QS vice president Ben Sowter emphasised: “There is still a lot of work yet to be done, even amongst the leaders in this list.”
“Universities can be, and broadly aspire to be, trailblazers in this space and we hope these metrics, and their inclusion in our flagship results, help them harness the support they need from stakeholders to take their rightful role in shaping the future of humanity,” he added.
